nodes
Closed beta
Desktop builds
The desktop app is invite-only while it's in beta. Enter the code you were sent and the current macOS build is yours — no account needed; you make one inside the app.
nodes for macOS
Before you open it
These builds are not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so the first time you open one macOS stops to ask. Move the app to Applications, then:
- Open Nodes. macOS says Apple could not verify it: click Done, not Move to Trash.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to Security, and click Open Anyway next to "Nodes" was blocked.
- Confirm with your password or Touch ID. Nodes opens.
macOS asks because there's no paid Apple signature on these builds yet, not because of anything the app does. You only do this for the first install: later updates are fetched by the app itself, and macOS does not ask about those.
Your data is safe across updates
Replacing the app doesn't touch your collection: cards, scheduling and
settings live in
~/Library/Application Support/com.example.ankibutbetter/,
outside the app bundle, and your account syncs to the cloud regardless.
Then what?
Make an account inside the app, then read the guide — it covers getting your first cards in and what the four answer buttons actually mean, which is the whole of what you need on day one. Migrating from Anki? Start here instead.